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Talk:The Baby Goose/@comment-2601:48:0:7745:4433:92E1:C0A4:444C-20190126135159
CHAPTER ONE ‘’Oh, look at the cute little baby, Fluttershy!’’ I looked. When Big Bird tells you to do something, you do it. The two of us were crouched on the ridge watching the human camp. I saw a tiny, soft, pink creature lift its pudgy front limbs and totter for a second on its hind feet, trying to find its balance. Then it toppled to the ground. Its parents laughed and cooed as they watched. ‘’Isn’t it nice the baby will be joining us for dinner,’’ Big Bird commented. ‘’It’s the least we can do,’’ I said. My tail twitched nervously as I watched the two-legged creatures below. We ponies get along just fine with most other predators. They don’t bother us; we don’t bother them. But humans are different. They poach our prey, hunt our pack, and use our skins to keep warm. ‘’Especially when his daddy wiped out half our pack and scouts our territory with a baby,’’ Big Bird snarled, narrowing his eyes at the baby’s father, the leader of the human pack. ‘’A baby, Fluttershy. It’s downright disrespectful, don’t you think?’’ ‘’Let’s show Daddy what happens when he messes with a pony,’’ I snarled. ‘’Alert the troops,’’ Big Bird growled. ‘’We attack at dawn.’’ I nodded and turned to go. ‘’And, Fluttershy, bring me that baby’’---Big Bird told me sharply---‘’alive. If I’m going to enjoy my revenge I want it to be fresh.’’ I heard the others talking as I approached. Tom was muttering about Big Bird’s obsession with humans while Rarity and Applejack were whining about the migration. The migration. I paused, thinking about it. Creatures of all shapes and sizes were moving south---plump aardvarks, tasty little piglets, crunchy dragons. For a pony, the migration was a walking buffet. And I knew my packmates were hungry. My own stomach was growling like Big Bird in a bad mood. I pushed those thoughts aside and hurried forward. ‘’Listen up,’’ I told the others. I was proud to be Big Bird’s messenger. It meant that he trusted me. ‘’We attack the humans at dawn.’’ ‘’Aw, no,’’ Rarity sputtered. ‘’There’s no meat on a human,’’ Applejack added. I frowned. When pack members start questioning Big Bird’s orders, everyone ends up in trouble. ‘’There won’t be any meat on you either if you don’t do what Big Bird says,’’ I warned them. When dawn came, we were ready. The human camp was still. The fires were almost out. The only ones who heard us coming were the wolves who hung around the human camp. But we were already running into the camp by the time their barking woke the humans. As the others attacked, I crept into the human leader’s tent. The baby, Charlie Brown, was sleeping inside. I lifted the tiny creature gently, being careful not to hurt it with my sharp teeth. Big Bird would be angry if it was damaged. I peered out of the tent flap. Now all I had to do was sneak past the fighting and get back to our--- Whack! ‘’Aaaaargh!’’ I yowled in pain. Whirling around, I saw Charlie Brown’s mother, Lucy. She dropped her club, grabbed the baby, and ran. My head was spinning, but I knew I had to follow. I didn’t want to face Big Bird’s anger if I lost his prize. I raced after the human woman. Her two legs were no match for my four. I caught up to her just outside of camp, at the edge of a cliff overlooking a waterfall. She had nowhere to run. Still, Lucy refused to give up. I was surprised at her courage. Even when I swiped at her, trying to snag the baby, she refused to give up. I shook my paw, distracted for a moment as Charlie Brown’s bead necklace caught on one paw. At that moment Lucy turned---and leaped off the cliff! Stunned, I leaned over the edge as she tumbled through the air, Charlie Brown still in her arms. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I go down the cliff after the baby? Was it still alive? Would Big Bird still want it? I just didn’t know. Big Bird spotted me as I returned to the scene of the battle. ‘’There’s Fluttershy!’’ he howled. ‘’Fall back!’’ When he asked about the baby, I took a deep breath. ‘’I lost it over the falls,’’ I said. Applejack, Rarity, and Tom started moaning and complaining, but I had ears only for Big Bird. ‘’I want that baby, Fluttershy,’’ he said, his voice cold. ‘’I’ll get it,’’ I promised. ‘’You’d better,’’ Big Bird growled. ‘’We’ll go up to Half-Peak---meet us there. And, Fluttershy, you’d better hope it’s alive!’’ I gulped and nodded. I knew what I had to do. CHAPTER TWO It was a long, steep, rocky climb down the cliff wall. The whole time I kept hearing Big Bird’s voice: You’d better hope he’s alive. Would the baby be alive? Humans seemed so easy to break, with their awkward limbs and smooth pink skin. I hoped Charlie Brown was stronger than he looked. Near the bottom I peered over a rock, hoping to spot the baby. ‘’Huh?’’ I muttered as a strange sight met my eyes. Standing beside the river was a huge blue pony. A smaller creature was there, too---a purple pony. And the purple pony was holding the human baby! What was going on? I crouched out of sight to listen. The two creatures seemed to be arguing about Charlie Brown. ‘’You’re an embarrassment to nature, you know that?’’ the blue pony said, sounding disgusted. The purple pony muttered something and turned toward the cliff. Clutching the baby, she started to climb. She managed to hoist herself a short way up the wall. The blue pony watched. I still couldn’t figure out what the two of them were doing. Blue ponies and purple ponies don’t usually hang out together. It didn’t really matter, though. The important thing was getting the baby. The purple pony was struggling over another boulder. I noticed Charlie Brown’s pelt loosening. This could be my chance--- I tensed my muscles. The pelt slipped. The purple pony struggled to keep hold of the baby but lost her grip. I leaped out of my hiding place as Charlie Brown plummeted toward the rocky ground. Aha! I caught him in my teeth, landing neatly on a rock. Whack! My head exploded in pain---again. Before I could react, some huge, hairy paws snaked forward and grabbed the baby from me. ‘’That pink thing is mine!’’ I cried. ‘’Ah, no,’’ the purple pony said. ‘’That pink thing belongs to us.’’ ‘’’Us’?’’ I repeated. ‘’You two are an odd couple.’’ The blue pony frowned at the purple pony. ‘’There is no us.’’ I decided to try the friendly approach. ‘’The baby?’’ I wheedled. ‘’Please? I was returning it to its herd.’’ ‘’Yeah, nice try, bucktooth,’’ the purple pony said. This wasn’t going to be easy. The purple pony, Twilight, was all talk---she would be no match for my teeth and paws on her own. But the blue pony, Dash, seemed to be protecting her. I couldn’t figure out why, since the two of them didn’t even seem to like each other. I followed as they climbed toward the human camp. They seemed surprised to see it deserted. I wasn’t surprised. I knew the humans had rushed off to find Big Bird and the others. ‘’They couldn’t be far.’’ Twilight looked around helplessly. ‘’They went this way. Or this way.’’ She scratched her head. ‘’Or maybe…hmmm…’’ ‘’You don’t know much about tracking, do you?’’ I commented. I saw my chance to get Charlie Brown out of their grasp. Twilight shrugged. ‘’Hey, I’m a purple pony---see a tree, eat a leaf. That’s my tracking.’’ I turned to Dash. ‘’You didn’t miss them by much.’’ I showed her a broken branch. ‘’They headed north two hours ago.’’ I hoped Dash would give me the baby to return. Instead, she announced that she and Twilight would return him to the humans themselves---and that I would lead the way. It wasn’t exactly the plan I had in mind. But I figured things could still work out. When Dash moved out of earshot for a second, I circled Twilight. ‘’You won’t always have Jumbo around to protect you,’’ I hissed. Twilight looked nervous, and I smiled. This might take a little longer than expected. But I planned to take that baby to Big Bird in triumph. No matter what. CHAPTER THREE Human babies may be small, but they can make a big noise. ‘’You gotta make it stop,’’ Dash moaned. ‘’I can’t take it anymore.’’ It was only hours into their journey, but it felt like days to them. Twilight was holding the baby. ‘’It won’t stop squirming,’’ she complained. ‘’You’re holding it wrong!’’ I snapped. Dash ordered Twilight to check the baby’s diaper. Twilight peeled it back. ‘’Eew, yuck, eew!’’ Twilight held the dirty pelt in the air. ‘’Stop waving that thing around!’’ I warned her, wrinkling my nose. Human babies can make a big stink, too. Twilight tripped, and the dirty pelt flew out of her grasp---right into Dash’s face. ‘’Eew! Yuck!’’ Dash cried. Twilight laughed. But Rainbow Dash didn’t. She stared Twilight down then bopped her on the head. The baby finally stopped crying for a second---and giggled. I blinked at him in amazement. Twilight and Dash stopped what they were doing and stared. The baby started crying again. Dash bonked Twilight again, and once more the baby laughed. ‘’Hey, do that again,’’ I told them. ‘’He likes it!’’ Dash whacked Twilight again. ‘’Yeah,’’ she said happily. ‘’It’s making me feel better, too.’’ Unfortunately, that only worked for a little while. Then I had an idea. Peekaboo! That always amused pony babies. I smiled at the yowling baby. ‘’Where’s the baby?’’ I uncovered my eyes and flashed my biggest toothy grin at him. ‘’There he is!’’ This was fun. I tried again. ‘’Where’s the baby? There he is!’’ The baby watched me, his eyes wide. For a second I thought it was working. Then he started bawling louder than ever. Dash shoved me aside. ‘’Stop it,’’ she said, grabbing the baby. ‘’You’re scaring him.’’ I guess my razor-sharp three-foot-long teeth frightened the little fellow. I was a little insulted, but I let it pass. Twilight tried to figure out what to do next. Dash was too busy trying to soothe Charlie Brown to help. Then Rainbow Dash said something that got everyone’s attention---‘’Food!’’ She pointed in the direction of a penguin marching past. I frowned. Penguins aren’t food. They’re too small to make even a light snack. Then I saw what Rainbow Dash had really been pointing to---a melon! Rainbow Dash picked it up, but as fast as lightning the penguin grabbed it and rolled it right past us, getting away before we really knew what happened. Twilight started chasing the bird, with Dash and me close behind. The penguin led us right to a huge penguin camp. Dash walked up to the penguin leader. ‘’Hey, can we have our melon back?’’ she asked. ‘’Junior’s hungry.’’ She pointed to the baby. The penguins all started chattering wildly. They didn’t want to share their food. But being penguins, they messed up---and kicked a melon right at us. That caused a big ruckus. ‘’The baby,’’ I thought. ‘’Now is my chance.’’ I looked around to be sure no one was watching me. But before I could make a move toward the baby, something happened that grabbed everyone’s attention. The penguins managed to escape---right over the edge of a cliff! Charlie Brown happily slurped melon. ‘’I give that species 40,000 years,’’ I said. ‘’Tops.’’ We headed into the mountains. I’d missed my chance to grab the baby this time. But I knew there would be another chance. Maybe tonight, after my new friends were--- Wait a minute. I stopped myself in mid-thought. Had I really just thought of bossy Dash and annoying Twilight as…as…friends? I shook my head. The baby’s smelly diapers were going to my brain, I figured. No way were those pathetic creatures friends of mine. And tonight, as soon as they fell asleep, Charlie Brown and I would be out of there. CHAPTER FOUR Twilight and the baby fell asleep right away. But I thought Dash would never close her eyes. She kept staring at me as I pretended to sleep. Finally, though, her eyes drooped shut. A moment later she was snoring. Carefully, not making a sound, I crept toward Dash and the baby. Closer. Closer. Closer… Snap! A twig cracked nearby. I froze. Snap! Louder this time. Dash didn’t wake up, but her paws tightened around Charlie Brown. Grr! Whoever was snapping twigs back in the brush had ruined my chance! And that creature was going to pay… I crouched low, stalking the source of the sound. The leaves rustled just ahead. I pounced. A pony! I’d tackled another pony. Rarity! ‘’I’m working here!’’ I snarled at her angrily. Tom appeared from the brush. ‘’Tracking down helpless infants too difficult for you?’’ He sneered at me. ‘’Big Bird’s getting tired of waiting.’’ ‘’Yeah,’’ Rarity added. ‘’He said: Come back with the baby or don’t come back at all.’’ I winced. I knew Big Bird. Even if I brought the baby to him now, he might think it was too late. I had to do something to prove myself. ‘’I have a message for Big Bird,’’ I said coolly. ‘’Tell him I’m bringing the baby. And tell him I’m bringing…a blue pony.’’ I showed them the sleeping Dash. They were ready to attack that very moment. But I stopped them. ‘’Not yet!’’ I warned. ‘’We’ll need the whole pack to bring this blue pony down.’’ The next day I couldn’t stop thinking about my talk with Rarity and Tom. Could it be my promise that was bothering me---the promise to deliver Dash to the pack? I was distracted, as usual, by Twilight’s goofing around. She managed to disappear with Charlie Brown. When I found her, she forced me to ‘’rescue’’ her from some male dark blue pony who was chasing her. It was tempting just to chomp her and be done with it. But I played along so we could keep moving. By midday we were crossing a glacier field. When I jumped on a rock to find our path, I spotted something moving in the valley below---the humans! I had to stop the others from seeing them, or my plan would be ruined. So would my life. Big Bird would never forgive me if I failed now. ‘’Great news!’’ I called. ‘’I found a shortcut.’’ I pointed out a crevice in the ice. It would take us away from the humans---and toward the pony trap that was waiting for Dash. ‘’Through there?’’ Dash sounded worried. ‘’No thanks,’’ Twilight added. ‘’I choose life.’’ I was losing patience with her goofy comments. ‘’Move, purple pony!’’ I thundered. My shout echoed loudly. Too loudly. It started an avalanche. ‘’Quick! Inside!’’ I yelped. We raced through the crevice into a series of caves. Charlie Brown crawled away and slid down an ice tunnel. We went after him and ended up skidding through a whole series of tunnels and slides. It was so cool I wanted to go again. But I knew I shouldn’t be having so much fun because, after all, I was leading them into a trap. When we landed, we found ourselves in a huge cavern with paintings of animals and humans on the walls. ‘’Look!’’ Twilight said. ‘’Yellow ponies!’’ Sure enough, some yellow ponies were among the creatures in the painting. Next Twilight pointed out a blue pony. She moved closer to the picture. ‘’Hey, this fat one looks like you,’’ she told Dash. ‘’Aw, she’s got a family.’’ Dash moved closer. As Twilight babbled on about the baby blue pony, I noticed that Dash was staring at the picture. Her face was sad. Suddenly it all made sense. That was why Dash was traveling alone. And why she wanted to help the human baby. She’d lost her own baby. ‘’Twilight,’’ I said to the purple pony, who was still chattering away. ‘’Shut up.’’ Twilight looked at Dash and finally got it. ‘’Oh.’’ Dash didn’t seem to remember that the rest of us were there---not until Charlie Brown patted the picture of the baby blue pony. Then Dash picked him up, and we turned to go. I paused, looking back curiously. What had happened to Dash’s family? I would probably never know. But I couldn’t help seeing Dash in a whole new way. It made it harder than ever to imagine leading her into Big Bird’s waiting jaws…. I snapped out of those thoughts when Twilight started complaining about her sweaty feet. I realized my feet were warm, too. Then--- Boom! CHAPTER FIVE Boom! Boom! Boom! Lava exploded all around us. ‘’Run!’’ we all yelled at once. The ground was bubbling and falling away everywhere I looked. Within seconds, the only safe ground was a few narrow, dangerous-looking bridges of ice. Below were deadly rivers of lava. ‘’Don’t look down!’’ Dash warned. ‘’I looked!’’ Twilight yelped in terror. Crack! The section of ice between me and Twilight suddenly dropped away. I found myself on a tiny platform of ice. I leaped forward, landing on the larger ice bridge with Twilight and Dash. ‘’Wow!’’ Twilight said. ‘’I wish I could jump like that.’’ ‘’Wish granted,’’ Dash said, punting her across the gap onto safe ground on the far side. Meanwhile I was stuck behind Dash. I could hear popping and sizzling and cracking all around. Any second now the heat would melt the bridge, and we would all be part of the lava soup below. If I was alone, I would be on the other side by now. But Dash was big---she couldn’t move that fast. ‘’Move faster!’’ I urged her nervously. Crack! A section of ice dropped in front of Dash. She leaped---landing safely on the far side. I was relieved. But only for a second. I noticed the ice beneath me melting fast. It was now or never. I leaped---but my paw slipped on the ice, and I scrabbled for a hold on the edge of the broken bridge. ‘’Fluttershy!’’ Twilight cried. Dash moved back onto the bridge and edged toward me. I struggled to hold on. But I slipped and lost my grip. I closed my eyes, waiting to feel the burning lava. Instead I felt some strong paws grab my leg. Dash! She hurled me toward the ledge. I landed safely---just as the ice broke, sending Dash tumbling out of sight! ‘’Rainbow Dash!’’ Twilight screamed. Ka-boom! Suddenly Dash came shooting up, carried by an explosion of rock and lava. She landed on the ledge beside us with a thud. She was okay! I couldn’t believe it. I also couldn’t believe she’d almost given her own life to save mine. ‘’Why did you do that?’’ I asked her. Dash shrugged. ‘’That’s what you do in a herd. You look out for each other.’’ ‘’I don’t know about you, but we’re the weirdest herd I’ve ever seen,’’ said Twilight. I had to admit that Twilight was right. We were a herd. In the pony pack it was every animal for itself. No one would help you out, ever. This herd sure was different. We moved on, stopping for the night on a mountain summit. Twilight even built a fire. Then it happened. Charlie Brown pushed himself up---and stood on his two hind legs. He staggered along, heading straight for me--- And fell, hugging my front paw. As I stared down at the little guy, so pink and helpless and small, I suddenly knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lead Dash and Twilight into that trap. Instead, I had to help them return the baby to his family. I lifted Charlie Brown to his feet. This would mean the end of life with my old pack. The end of being Big Bird’s favorite. But that didn’t matter so much all of a sudden. Because now I was part of a herd. My new friends.